It is that time of year again when young folks across the country are headed back to school and are frantically scramblin’ to pay for books and the outrageous cost of tuition. What is a future scholar to do? Well, enter this year's Hip Hop “Captain Save-a:Ho;” Oscar winning, former 3-6 Mafia member, Juicy J. Recently the rapper set Twitter on fire with his announcement that, out of his deep sense of moral responsibility, he was gonna reward the best twerker on the planet with a 50 grand scholarship to the institute of higher learning of her choice.

Since the tweet, quickly and mysteriously disappeared , some people took the kind gesture as either a sophomoric prank or a marketing scheme for his soon to be released CD. Others were not amused as such a childish escapade could not have come at a worst time.

Militant Sista Squad Sounds off on Juicy J Twerkin' Scholarship!

militantmindmilitia

The head of the Hip Hop Liberation Army Seeka the Teacha along with Abena Afreeka and Sis. Tricey are outraged that rapper Juicy J is offering a $50,000 scholarship to the winner of a twerkin' contest. They are calling for a boycott of his CD. For more information contact militantmindmilitia@gmail.com

And although Juicy J had deleted the evidence before he was forced to pay up, it was too late to prevent news of his philanthropic endeavor from reaching the mainstream media. Adding yet another weapon to the arsenal of many people in this country who feel that African Americans are academically retarded and only enter prestigious universities courtesy of Affirmative Action, basketball and now, twerkin’.

This has been a long summer for Black folks , as racial politics has dominated the news for the last three months. Not to mention that African Americans are still facing the usual issues from the elementary to collegiate level of everything from sub-par educational opportunities to the unfair suspension rates of African American children. If there was any time for us to get serious about obtaining a higher degree of knowledge, that time would be now.

The twerkin’ scholarship announcement also came at a time in America when it seemed that Hip Hop artists would be strong armed into taking the power of the words that come out of their mouths a little more seriously.. This expectation was heightened when news of Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Control was hailed as one of Hip Hop's 10 greatest moments as it seemed to signal a return to lyricism. However, what it really proved was that you can spit 100 bars and still say absolutely nothing of substance.

What the Juicy J scandal also showed was that old age and intellectual maturity do not go hand ,when a rapper darn near 40 years old can still make songs for adolescents. Proving that ,apparently, ratchetness does not have an age limit. (Grabbin’ the mic and yellin’ how you’ve been in the game for 20 years is nothing to be proud of when your lyrics have not matured in two decades.)

So the age old question arises, why do rappers do such dumb stuff at the most inopportune times?

Now the conspiracy theorists will say that it is part of the clandestine operation to dumb down black children, or what Dr. JawanzaKunjufu calls “The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys.” This could indeed be true if you point to the Wall Street Journal article a few years back that reported that kids who listened to LIL Wayne’s Lollipop had lower SAT scores than their peers who fancied other genres of music,

One could also argue that the failure of the many “Hip Hop studies” programs that mushroomed after Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's book “Between God and Gangsta Rap” to come up with a solution to the misogyny, Black on Black violence and outright coonery that plagues much of commercial rap is more reflective of a studies program that was either created to give middle class , nerdy white kids an easy A or a concerted effort to supplant the demand for serious Afrocentric education.

Now the Hip Hop apologists will argue that this is much to do about nothing and there is ,absolutely, nothing wrong with a rapper, whether serious or not, tweetin’ that he is gonna flip the bill for a couple of semesters of psychology if a sista does a five minute routine off of “Bands to Make Her Dance.” After all, how else is she gonna to get that much tuition money? Working at McDonalds? Do you know how many burgers she would have to flip to make 50K?

Whateva, man.

This is about more than a phony scholarship. This is about the future of our young people and how they view academic achievement.

At some point , as a community, we have to say enough is enough!

So, I’m declaring a war on ignorance this school year. Consider me the "Joe Clark of Hip Hop" for the next 10 months, swingin’ a Louisville slugger and puttin' all remedial education, ratchet rappers on an immediate suspension from the culture.

Ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse to dumb down a whole generation because of ratchetness.

Monday, August 12, 2013

For years, there has been a controversy in this country over what black parents should name their children. The argument was that if the parents named the child, "Winchester" or "Molly," the kid would have a bright future at some prestigious law firm. But if they named the kid something like "Naquan" or "Shauniqua" , the child would be doomed to a life of snatchin' purses from old ladies or at best, flippin' burgers at Mickey Dees. Well, now a judge in Tennessee , Lu Ann Ballew thinks that naming someone "Messiah" is a problem, too.

According to news reports , Jaleesa Martin wanted to name her lil boy, Messiah, but the judge thought that in a predominately, Christian area, the name make cause the good towns folks to try to burn him at the stake on his first day of kindergarten. So, the judge anointed him with a more fitting name of " Martin DeShawn McCullough." Ballew argues that the name, Messiah, should have been copyrighted 2000 years ago.

Now, if you want to get all Biblical with it. "Messiah" means "the anointed one" and most religions have some figure who was chosen to save his people. Also, even in Christianity, the names of Yeshua or Joshua predated the birth of the historical "Jesus" by hundreds of years. Matter of fact, the name was not uncommon in Biblical times as the Children of Israel were always looking for someone to save them from their oppressors.

So, it seems that somebody needs to go to remedial Sunday school, ASAP.

This is also most disturbing when put in the context of the demonization of black youth in the media.

Since the end of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial, talking heads such as Bill O'Reilly have used their bully pulpits to blame all the ills of society on the black "cultural " glorification of "saggin' pants" and "loud rap music." Seems like names like "Lil Wayne" and "Niki Minaj" have more to do with the social status of residents of "the 'hood" then the socio-economic conditions that created them.

So, following that warped logic, what kid has the best chance of growing up to be a great black leader, DeShawn "D-dawg" Jackson or Messiah McCollugh?

Of course, that is based on the assumption that America actually wants a black leader to lead African Americans to the proverbial Promised Land. What if all black children started to have aspirations of being "messiahs?" Who would be around to pour Miss Daisy's coffee every morning?

Oh, the horrors!

Back in the Civil Rights/Black Power Era, then FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, is said to have created the COINTELPRO program to prevent the "rise of a Black Messiah who could electrify the youth."

Apparently this "fear of a Black Messiah" is alive and well today in Tennessee.

"TRUTH Minista Paul Scott is an activist and Hip Hop journalist based in Durham NC. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 308-4233

Paul Scott

Paul Scott

Paul Scott is a minister, writer, lecturer and activist. He has been a guest on talk shows around the world including Hannity and Colmes (Fox News), Fox News Live, Nachman (MSNBC), Hot 97 (NY), The Bev. Smith Show, Mancow Morning Show, Mike Medved Show, Russ Parr Morning Show, Mo in the Midday WVON (Chicago), Tom Pope Show (DC) Newstalk 1010 (Toronto) and SAfm (South Africa) discussing the issues of Rap,Race,Religion and Revolution. He has been interviewed by many newspapers including the New York Times, the USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor. Scott has lectured at universities across the country including West Virginia University, Clemson, Winston Salem State University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Scott was ordained a Baptist minister in 1998 he later went on to coin the phrase Afrikan Liberation Theology, which is "Black Liberation Theology for the 21st century." After forming the New Righteous Movement, Scott formed the Messianic Afrikan Nation in 2003. For more information contact (984) 377-2064 info@nowarningshotsfired.com or Twitter @NWSF